Volume Two: Gentlemen and Petty Men Chapter Fifty-Three: If I Say You Are, Then You Are

The officials of the Ministry of Justice, including Yan Yishou, were stunned. After all this commotion, it turned out that the supposed aggrieved party—the last remaining son of the Zheng family—was a fraud? This fellow must have been emboldened by madness—or rather, he had completely lost his mind—to dare come to the capital, run into the Ministry of Justice, and falsely accuse a high-ranking official of the imperial court!

Seeing this, Liao Kui grew even more confident. He glanced at Zheng Zinian and continued, "You did get a few things right. My sister-in-law, the Zheng woman, and my niece, Zheng Ziyan, were indeed taken into my home to be cared for after the tragedy occurred. But my sister-in-law passed away due to illness from excessive grief. As for the rest of the Zheng family, they fled because they feared punishment from the authorities, and their family assets were entrusted to me by brother Zheng Qian while he was in prison!"

What a masterful distortion of the truth, delivered with such conviction. According to Liao Kui’s version, he remained a loyal friend to Zheng Qian, and everything he did was an act of charity.

Zheng Zinian was incensed. "You’re lying! It was you who destroyed my family and left me with nothing, yet here you are playing the saint. Everyone knows the truth about many of these things..."

"Then let me ask you this," Liao Kui interrupted. "If you are truly the son of Zheng Qian, can you describe what your father looked like? Was he tall or short, fat or thin?"

The question caught Zheng Zinian off guard. He froze for a moment before retorting angrily, "You... my father passed away five years ago; he has long since turned to dust..."

"Guards, seize this bold impostor!" Vice Minister Yan, a man of vast experience in legal affairs, had already sensed something was wrong. Without further hesitation, he issued the order.

The bailiffs on both sides moved at once, pouncing fiercely. They easily pinned the already injured youth to the ground and prepared to drag him away. The facts were clear: this was a malicious fraud. Once they applied torture, the truth would surely come out.

Yan Yishou, already convinced of the outcome, turned his gaze to Huang Ming, who stood nearby. "Huang Ming, what is your role in this affair?" His tone was far from friendly.

Huang Ming, showing no sign of fear, smiled and bowed. "As I said before, I am merely helping because I could not stand by and watch an injustice."

"I suspect it is more than that. I believe you are the true mastermind behind this farce!" Yan Yishou dropped the pretense, his face darkening as he pointed at Huang Ming. "Take him into custody as well! The Ministry of Justice is not the Ministry of Rites; I will not tolerate your antics here!"

Just as the officers lunged to seize him, Huang Ming suddenly raised his voice. "Wait! I have a few more words to say!"

Whether it was out of curiosity regarding his status or the weight of his previous actions, Yan Yishou raised a hand, signaling his men to pause. He stared at Huang Ming. "I will grant you this opportunity."

Liao Kui sneered at Huang Ming, thinking that if he were truly the culprit, he would not let this scoundrel escape either.

Huang Ming then turned to him. "Censor Liao, you just said that Zheng Qian’s daughter, Zheng Ziyan, is still alive, did you not?"

Meeting his steady gaze, Liao Kui felt a sudden, inexplicable jolt, but he replied calmly, "That is correct."

"And where is she now?"

"Naturally, she is in Ruyang, Henan, at my home."

"Have you met her?"

"I met her a few years ago..."

"Would you recognize her again?"

"Of course!"

As soon as those final words left his lips, Liao Kui saw a smile bloom on Huang Ming’s face, and his heart sank. Something was wrong.

Huang Ming gave him no time to reflect. He turned to Yan Yishou and bowed. "Vice Minister, I implore you to send someone to the main gate and summon Zheng Ziyan to speak!"

"Hmm?" Yan Yishou was taken aback, sensing that the tide was turning once more. But having spoken thus far, he could hardly refuse. He nodded and said, "Go, fetch Zheng Ziyan."

Under the shifting gaze of Liao Kui, the officers soon returned with a girl dressed in a youth's attire. When Liao Kui saw her, his composure shattered, and he instinctively took two steps back. "You..."

"You didn't expect this, did you, Liao Kui? I am still alive, and I am here to seek revenge!" Zheng Ziyan’s eyes were red, though she refused to let the tears fall. Her teeth were gritted, and her beautiful almond-shaped eyes burned with a fire that seemed ready to consume the murderer standing before her.

Observing their reactions, Yan Yishou had already reached his own conclusion. For the sake of procedure, he asked, "Are you indeed the daughter of Zheng Qian?"

"I am. I am Zheng Ziyan, the daughter of Zheng Qian. Since I was a child, he and my mother were forcibly taken into the Liao household. Later, my mother committed suicide because she could not bear his abuse, and I was sold by his servants to others. After drifting from place to place, I ended up at the Yueqing Pavilion in the capital!"

At this moment, Zheng Ziyan had no reservations; she did not even hide the fact that she had worked in a brothel.

"No, you are also an impostor! You are not Zheng Qian’s daughter... you are just like him..." Liao Kui finally regained some of his senses and hurriedly denied it. He knew that only by denying her identity could he reverse the situation. "Yes, my niece Zheng Ziyan is still in her hometown! How could it be you? If you claim to be her, do you have proof?"

"How could I not?" This time it was Huang Ming who spoke. He stepped forward and bowed to Yan Yishou. "Vice Minister Yan, I have the contract of indenture for Zheng Ziyan right here. Please, take a look."

Yan Yishou glanced at Huang Ming in astonishment, then a realization dawned on him. His earlier suspicion was correct: Huang Ming was the mastermind, and he had orchestrated everything long ago. Otherwise, why would he have remained silent when Liao Kui exposed Zheng Zinian as a fraud, only to produce evidence of Zheng Ziyan's identity now?

Though he could not yet fathom the full extent of the man's plan, he had to examine the document. Once he received the indenture from the Ministry of Rites' Bureau of Music and read it carefully, he knew there could be no issue with Zheng Ziyan's identity. Large brothels in the capital like the Yueqing Pavilion, while not state-run, were very particular about the backgrounds of their girls; they had to verify their origins thoroughly before accepting them.

At that moment, Zheng Zinian, still pinned to the floor, began to weep. "Little sister, it is my fault for being so useless and letting you suffer..."

"Brother, I thought you had long since... I haven't suffered. As long as I can avenge our father and the forty-seven members of the Zheng family, everything I endured is worth it..."

This exchange between the siblings completely dismantled Liao Kui’s denials. Everyone present could now confirm that Zheng Ziyan was indeed the daughter of Zheng Qian.

Liao Kui stood there, utterly dumbfounded.

As they say: when the false is taken for the true, the true becomes false; and it is also said: if they say you are, then you are—even if you are not.